It’s Christmas 1953 and the great Max Mephisto and Daughter are top of the bill at the Brighton Hippodrome supported by a ventriloquist, dancing poodles and a tableau show of naked ‘living statues’ all staged to mirror historical death scenes.
When DI Edgar Stephens is called to investigate the murder of a quiet flower-seller he begins to make tenuous links between the crime scene and the show.
As Edgar and Max once again join forces, will they be able to battle their personal lives in time to catch the killer before they strike again?
I love this series! Having stumbled across it a little over a year ago I eagerly await each new instalment like a child does Christmas. Griffiths has a unique way of bringing 1950s Brighton to life before the readers eyes, with vivid descriptions and details.
The characters are hugely likeable, and whilst it may be a little unconvincing that all the murders taking place in Brighton are in someway connected to the stage, its easy to accept due to the amazing network of people the author has created.
This book really captures the changes life took in this era, with variety becoming a dying art and taken over by television and the ‘silver screen’. It’s stories like this one that make me, as a big history lover, wish I had a time machine but the magical world Elly Griffiths’ has created is as near as dammit!
** Thanks to Quercus Books, via NetGalley, for this ARC **